I’m getting a Tesla S. There. I said it. This feels like a confession. The nicest car I’ve ever driven was a Ford Fusion hybrid (and it is a REALLY nice car, btw). I basically despise status and will frankly be pretty embarrassed to be seen driving my new car. Nice cars, nice clothes, fancy stuff- not into it.

My dad bought his cars at auction. He would sometimes go out for the day shopping for cars like others would shop for groceries. I remember one Saturday afternoon he brought home 3 cars from the auction. Those cars lasted forever, it seems. One was a retired fire chief wagon. It had the spotlight on it and everything. Those cars all got about 10 mpg, btw.

I currently drive a Nissan Leaf. I really like it, but it will be nice to have an electric car with longer range. The Leaf is great for every day running around, but there are plenty of times when I have to take a rather long day or weekend trip.

I’ve decided to buy a Tesla because of this article I recently read in the NYT. Here is an excerpt that sums it up…

Though Tesla’s products are not yet affordable to the masses, this is a car that a lot of people can aspire to, and maybe even stretch their budget to buy. No single new model can overhaul the auto industry, but the Model S, along with its charging network for long-distance travel, suggests that Tesla is playing for keeps. If the car’s appeal can be transferred to higher-volume models, the Model S could become the Model T of an approaching petroleum-free era.

I was in Costco doing some Christmas shopping a few weeks ago. I noticed that their LED lights have dropped about 50% in price since 18 months ago. With all of our recent growth here at MOM’s, we ordered about 1000 LED bulbs from them for our stores this past year, paying double the price we could get for them today ($30 vs. $15). Do I have any regrets? Not one bit! As a matter of fact, I’m proud that the price has now come down. Were it not for the early adopters who are the first to support environmentally friendly technology, such products wouldn’t be available to anyone.

I know I’m vastly over-paying for this car. I’ll bet in 3 years, there will be a similar option with a price that will be at least 30% less. I am confident that the electric car industry will take off similarly to the LED light market, though- and those of us who are able, must show our support now!

7 Responses to Up For Early Adoption

Early adopters always pay a high price. The original 1981 IBM PC — with 64 Kb of memory, an 8 Mhz processor, no hard drive, no networking capability, and a monochrome text-only monitor with no graphics — cost OVER $7,000 in today’s dollars. Who in their right mind would pay that much for a glorified typewriter? Well, fortunately for all of us, a lot of people did, which drove down the costs and spurred the technological innovations that have given us computers that are orders of magnitude more powerful at a tiny fraction of that cost. The nature of electric car technology is such that there is every reason to expect similar improvements in performance and reductions in cost in the near future. Electric cars could, in fact, become dirt cheap. (Personally, I’m waiting for the Honda Fit EV to become available in the DC area — that’s the one for me.)

I drive the LEAF too presently, every day 25 miles each way to downtown Baltimore without extra charging. This is about the perfect amount of maximizing its use while always leaving a comfortable bit to spare for the unexpected (evening out, shopping, traffic digression, etc.). We are not quite there yet financially speaking for Tesla’s sedan, but we aspire to it. The added range has enormous value, and it is simply super sleek and classy.

Virtually everyone in the know has said as much: as a masterpiece of style and EV functionality, on the whole Tesla’s Model S is probably the most spectacular automobile ever manufactured.

MT- yes, the Leaf is perfect for that 50-60 mile round trip. Btw- I have 2 level 2 chargers at work, but I usually don’t need them. The trickle charge at home does the trick. The 2 units at work (at our Rockville store/offices) get a ton of usage, which is why I usually don’t plug in there- so that others can use them.